From: Marc in Belgium
Dear Rabbi,
I’ve been looking over the Haggada and there is a section that is not so clear to me. The passage reads, “And it is this that has stood by our fathers and us, for not one alone has risen up against us to destroy us, but in all ages did they rise up to destroy us, but the Holy One, blessed be He, delivered us from their hands.” What I don’t understand is, what is the “this” that has stood by our fathers etc.? Does it refer to G‑d? If so, why doesn’t it say, “And He has stood by our fathers”? Thank you for your reply.
Dear Marc,
On a simple level, perhaps the “this” is referring to a promise or a pact that G‑d has made with the Jewish People, that no matter what happens to the Jewish People in any generation, despite the persecution of the nations, G‑d will ultimately be with us, protect us and redeem us. Accordingly, the intention is as follows, “The promise made by G‑d to our forefathers and which he keeps with us, their children, is still binding and in effect, that even though in all ages the nations rise against us, He will deliver us from their hands.”
However, there is a deeper and very beautiful explanation based on the idea that it is the Jewish People’s eternal dedication to the Torah that is the basis for our affirmation of G‑d’s protection. This explanation is derived from the Hebrew term used for “this”: “v’hee” – spelled ‘vav’, ‘hey’, ‘yud’, ‘alef’. The letter ‘vav’ which has the numerical value of six, indicates the six orders of the Mishna, the oral teaching. This takes precedence because the oral tradition reveals to us the meaning of the written teachings. The letter ‘hey’, which has the numerical value of five, indicates the five books of the Torah. The letter ‘yud’, with the numerical equivalent of ten, indicates the Ten Commandments which are the essence of the moral teachings of Judaism. The letter ‘alef’, with the numerical equivalent of one, indicates the One G‑d, whose unity it is our duty to declare.
According to this, if we abide by the oral teachings, study the written Torah, base our code of conduct on the Ten Commandments, and proclaim our faith to the One G‑d, the Almighty will ultimately redeem us from all our foes.
